Provincial council candidate Fareeq Khazaali moves through the crowds of shoppers on Mutanabi Street with the confidence and ease of a veteran politician, shaking hands and smiling, as his children, wearing homemade campaign T-shirts, distribute leaflets.When he's not pressing the flesh, he's sending frequent text messages ("Greetings. Please elect your candidate Fareeq Khazaali.") and making friends on Facebook -- surprising political sophistication for a novice candidate in a country taking baby steps toward democracy.As Iraq nears its provincial elections day, Jan. 31, residents are faced with ballots that could make even a seasoned voter's head spin. In total across the country, 14,400 candidates representing 407 political entities are vying for 440 seats.[. . .]As the candidates mingle with the public, they are easy targets for assassins. On Dec. 31, gunmen in the northern city of Mosul shot and killed a candidate in broad daylight while he was walking down the street. U.S. and Iraqi authorities have warned of a potential increase in violence as the elections near.

The reporters quote Erin Matthews . . . with the National Democratic Institute. Yes, NDI is in Iraq. Yes, once upon a time America's left would be yelling.

But they're busy drooling over Barack and, besides, Mad Maddie Albright's Barack's gal now, right? She was only a problem when she was standing next to Hillary. (Mad Maddie chairs NDI.) And War Monger Susan Rice is Barack's buddy that he's appointed to the UN. (Rice serves on the NDI board.)

Funded by U.S. taxpayers, the Baghdad office of the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs stands at the ambitious heart of the American effort to make Iraq a model democracy in the Arab world. In the 13 months it has operated in the country, the institute has tutored political aspirants from all of Iraq's major parties, trained about 10,000 domestic election observers and nurtured thousands of ordinary citizens seeking to build the institutions that form the backbone of free societies.The work is in many ways entirely routine for the institute -- as it is for the two other Washington-based organizations that are here advising on the architecture of democracy: the International Republican Institute (IRI), which declined requests for an interview, and the International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES), which along with the United Nations is providing crucial technical assistance to Iraq's electoral commission. The groups work in scores of countries, from those in Eastern Europe to Yemen and Indonesia, and arrived in Baghdad with solid reputations for encouraging democratic norms. Together, the three have been allotted as much as $90 million for their work in Iraq.But such is the state of Iraq less than a week before elections for the National Assembly that the Democratic Institute's instructors dare not see their names in print. "You can say, 'an official with an international organization that operates in Iraq,' " said the institute's country director, a former political operative and public relations executive who, like his boss, happens to be Canadian. He later agreed to allow the use of the organization's name.

What, I'd like to know, was the Democratic Party, which has demonstrated an uncanny ability to lose elections it should be able to win handily here in America, doing spending $40 million in U.S. taxpayers' dollars "helping" people and organizations in other countries to compete in elections to overturn incumbent governments overseas?It turns out that even as it was blowing the presidential election in the U.S., an arm of the Democratic Party, the so called National Democratic Institute, was busy over the last year spending tens of millions of dollars provided by the State Department to help the opposition in the Ukraine to challenge the government party in that former Soviet state. (A similar Republican Party organization, the Republican International Institute, was doing the same thing with more State Department money. ) Some of that help was itself of questionable legality, which is why it was all done covertly.Does anyone else see the huge irony and hypocrisy here?The opposition party in the U.S. was actually working hand in glove with the government (and with the Republican Party!) in a subversive foreign policy effort of the Bush administration even as its chosen presidential candidate and nominal party leader, John Kerry, was campaigning against the foreign policy and foreign policy establishment of the Bush administration as inept and untrustworthy.It takes nothing away from the students and workers of the Ukraine who took to the streets and overturned the results of a corrupt election to say that citizens in America, and especially people who call themselves members of the Democratic Party, should be outraged that they and their party, the victims of fraud and voter abuse at home, were engaged in some of the same kinds of subterfuges overseas that GOP operatives and Republican-led election bureaucracies were using against them here at home.

Despite its failure so far to even put a dent in the massive popular support for Chavez and the revolution in Venezuela, the US establishment continues to funnel millions of dollars to Venezuelan opposition groups to try to destabilise the government. The publicly acknowledged component of this funding is channelled through so-called "non-government organisations" in Venezuela (such as SUMATE, whose leader, Corina Machado, endorsed the unsuccessful 2002 coup against Chavez) from bastions of the US Right including USAID, the International Republican Institute, the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, the American Centre for International Labour Solidarity, the Centre for International Private Enterprise and, of course, the National Endowment for Democracy.

For activists and researchers familiar with the Ford Foundation's elitist and anti-democratic history, this in itself should start alarm bells ringing as to the political motivations guiding the financial support which helped bring about HRW's existence.[15] This is because the Ford Foundation's backing of HRW is consistent with 'democratic' changes occurring within the US foreign policy elites thinking in the 1970s, which was beginning to recognise the importance of soft-power in promoting American hegemony. These changes were no doubt informed by the political experiences gained by the political elites running liberal philanthropic foundations (like the Ford and Rockefeller Foundations'), which in 1984 eventually led to the creation of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and the United States Institute for Peace (USIP). Ironically, these groups carry out the same disruptive work that the CIA and USAID are well known for, yet under the protective rhetoric of democracy and peace.[16] However, the type of democracy promoted by these organisations is best referred to as low-intensity democracy, or polyarchy.While only one study has exposed the anti-democratic orientation of the USIP, far more studies (especially more recently) have laid bare the 'democracy' promoting practices of the NED and its cohorts - it's four primary grantees being the National Democratic Institute, the International Republican Institute, the Center for International Private Enterprise, and the AFL-CIO's Solidarity Center.[17] The seminal study examining the NED is Professor Robinson's Promoting Polyarchy: he notes that:

"[T]he NED was created in the highest echelons of the US national security state, as part of the same project that led to the illegal operations of the Iran-Contra scandal. It is organically integrated into the overall execution of US national security and foreign policy. In structure, organization, and operation, it is closer to clandestine and national security organs such as the CIA than apolitical or humanitarian endowments as its name would suggest. The NED has operated in tandem with all major interventionist undertakings in the 1980s and 1990s."[18]

As the latter part of this study will illustrate, some of HRW's Americas Advisory Board are directly promoting the agenda of the NED-linked 'democracy' establishment, while many others are closely linked to its most influential proponents. For reasons of concision, however, the author has chosen to focus predominantly on the 'democratic' affiliations of HRW's Americas Advisory Board members, and so does not concentrate on each individual's links to what appear to be genuinely democratic organizations. This decision has been taken because the primary purpose of this essay is to draw attention to the close interlocks that exist between the human rights and the 'democracy promoting' communities. That many of the people working with HRW are also invited to work with progressive groups' is a given (especially considering the lack of attention paid to their activities), but this should surely also indicate the depth of the problem facing progressive activists who endeavour to promote a democracy based on participatory principles, not imperialism. (In most cases progressive links are not highlighted, although many of them can be found at SourceWatch.)

And while NDI can be in Iraq, true democracy can't. al-Maliki's reign has seen repeated, high-levels of abuse aimed at the press. It's been spread out for nearly three years so many have looked the other way. But don't forget, following the crackdown (when the Green Zone was almost breached in 2006), he came up with 'his' multi-point plan (the plan was largely what local areas had already implemented) to which he added a direct attack on the press. The plan -- like every other promise he makes -- never got implemented. But his hostility and disdain for the press was there in writing. And his attitude has flourished and been embraced by so many others. So it's no surprise that the provincial elections are coming with press restrictions. From yesterday's snapshot: " Kim Gamel (AP) reports that other 'laws' are being pressed. Specifically the puppet government has issued a 14-page conduct code for reporters -- Iraqi and foreign -- that they will need to sign 'in exchange for permission to attend this month's provincial elections, riaisng concerns among media analysts that independent coverage could be undermined'." This morning, Khalid al-Ansary, Tim Cocks and Katie Nguyen (Reuters) report:

Media organisations who flout the Communications and Media Commission's mandatory code of conduct could be landed with a fine, have their equipment confiscated or be forced to make a public apology, said a document obtained by Reuters on Saturday."When covering activities of any political entity or any candidate, media outlets should not deliberately pervert the information ... or hide it or fabricate it," the document said."In dealing with ... political alliances and candidates, media should not be biased towards any."Media organisations could have their licences revoked if they fail to pay any fines, according to the document.

Ibrahim al-Jaafari believes in old-style campaign tactics--like paying off tribal blood debts. That's one way the former interim prime minister has wooed votes for his National Reform Trend Party's candidates in Iraq's Jan. 31 provincial elections. Back in October 2006, at the height of Iraq's sectarian slaughter, 14 Shiite laborers were killed by Sunni extremists at a fake checkpoint north of Baghdad on land belonging to the Jabouri, a Sunni tribe. The ensuing religious vendetta left more than 100 members of both sects dead before the killings stopped.The trouble wasn't over even then. Under Iraqi tradition, the tribe had failed to protect the laborers who were in its territory and thus owed a blood debt to their families. The Jabouri blamed Al Qaeda for the original killings and wouldn't pay. But Jaafari settled things by putting up 15 million Iraqi dinars in compensation for each victim, roughly $180,000 total. "All the people in the area now respect him," says Sheik Behjat Abdul Majid, who heads a local council that handles tribal issues. "If he needs any support, then we will all support him."The upcoming election--the first of four planned for this year in Iraq--has more than 14,000 candidates campaigning as hard as they can, with one foot in the country's future and the other planted deep in the past. Most have no hope of winning, since only 440 provincial council seats are at stake. But the outcome is of far more than local importance. For one thing, it could begin to correct the underrepresentation of Sunni Arabs, many of whom boycotted the 2005 elections.

Officials with the 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Stewart confirmed that the body of a soldier assigned to the Warrior Transition Unit was found Friday morning in his barracks."That's all the information we can release because next of kin still needs to be notified," said 3rd ID spokesman Maj. Lee Peters late Friday afternoon.

Capt. Warren A. Frank had served nearly three tours in Iraq. He was a Marine, but he was also a husband and a father who looked forward to retiring from the service, teaching high school history and coaching track.Those dreams and ambitions were dashed when Frank, 26, was killed Nov. 25 while supporting combat operations in Ninewa province, Iraq, the Department of Defense reported.According to a statement released by his father, Warren R. Frank, his son was killed while conducting a humanitarian food drop when his team encountered enemy small arms fire, and at least one of the attackers might have been dressed as an Iraqi soldier.The same attack killed Master Sgt. Anthony Davis, a Triangle resident who was buried at Arlington National Cemetery last month.

The above is from Mark Berman's "Mourning a Fallen Marine's Lost Future" (Washington Post)and we're noting it and, you may have noticed, other write ups on funerals more than normal. In past years, if we've noted a funeral or memorial (we note the deaths, I'm talking about the funerals here) it's been because there's been an e-mail asking that we do. We'll be noting the funerals a lot more because people (I don't mean people in this community) seem to have forgotten the costs of the illegal war.

The broadcast networks are going-going-gone having lost interest and "lost interest" pretty much describes the s**t Tom Hayden served up yesterday (see yesterday's snapshot) reflecting his opinions and those of others in the 'anti-war' movement. I'm real sorry that the war has dragged on longer than they could have guessed (fools) and that it's such a 'hardship' on their lives. You know Tom's got a bad 'book' to sell every ten months or so. A repackaging of previous writings or yet another autobiography. Those things may not require real work but they do require time and Tom's just too damn busy to be bothered with some silly war.

I believe it was near the end of 2005 that we started saying here that it appeared those who wanted the illegal war (a decreasing number) wanted it more than those allegedly opposed to the illegal war wanted to end it.

And that's still true. In fact, it's even more so today.

We don't have a media. Corporate media's spending all their time trying to second guess Barack. Watch the smugness on the chat and chews and grasp that it's all about whether or not they were right in their columns or reports. In March, I'm told by one news exec at NBC, they'll be re-evaluating coverage (meaning Iraq might get some crumbs) but for now it's Barack's . . . He stopped so I finished for him "coronation." And that's what it is and that's where the corporate media's gone. Panhandle Media is no better and I have to bite my tongue because they are, in fact, worse, but we go into that at Third tomorrow.

So let's stop pretending that the media gives a damn about the Iraq War. They don't give a f**k. Corporate media's off in a frenzy over how far up they can build Barack before they begin dismantling him (a natural process -- they're selling a product, not delivering news) and Panhandle Media's full of the rejects who couldn't work elsewhere because they're socially and intellectually stunted.

The American people?

I try to be sympathetic. I try to grasp that a lot of LIARS in Panhandle Media have worked overtime to create the myth of Barack The 'Anti-War' Candidate. I try to remind myself that most people are so busy they don't have time to check out reality for themselves.

But I'm losing that sympathy quickly. They have time to finger and jerk themselves off into a frenzy over the War Hawk. They have time to fantasize.

And, honestly, after nearly six years, it's pretty f**king pathetic that they can't get their damn act together (the American people) enough to know what's what with an ongoing war.

People make fun of -- on the left and in the center -- those who still support the illegal war. I make fun of the politicians and eggheads who do but the average person who supports it? No. They tend to pay far more attention to it than the average American. I'll always disagree with them on the illegal war but I will give them credit for never ignoring it.

And I'll even congratulate them because, right now, they have won. It won't last but right now this is their victory. And that's due to the retreat by the so-called 'anti-war' movement. So they should bask in that and grasp that the Leslie Cagans and Tom Haydens do not give a DAMN about ending the Iraq War. They are devoted to Barack Obama and too vested in LYING for him and PROTECTING him from the harsh truths and realities.

Again, it's a temporary victory because across America there are a number who still want to end the illegal war and the off-with-their-heads movement regarding the FAKE 'leaders' has seeds planted and stems sprouting.

Leslie Cagan and Tom Hayden are among those who have betrayed and sold out the peace movement. As those of us who care about ending the illegal war keep the movement alive and growing, we need to remember that and remember that there's no place for those who would sabotage the peace movement. It is not about any political candidate for any office. Those who have abused the movement are saboteurs in every sense of the word.

Every day, the dying will continue in Iraq. Some days it will include the US, every day it will include Iraqis. It is this century's tragedy. Built on lies and continued due to the apathy of some and the greed of others.

Friday, January 09, 2009

Friday, January 9, 2009. Chaos and violence continue, the US did not follow Geneva in Iraq, the puppet government attempts to impose 'conditions' on reporters, KBR and Halliburton find that a spotlight comes with greed, and more.

You Just Need a Dilettante To Know Which Way The Wind Blows. And Tom Hayden is one -- a greying, dottering one, but a dilettante none the less. At ZNet (link provided so you can visit the scene of his crime), Tommy list a series of wants: "our new president to succeed, restore hope, and launch a new New Deal at home, not to be distracted by a quagmire abroad." Tom, you are now as officially nutty as Leslie Cagan and both of you should exit stage right immediately. These are not the voices of peace, these are the hormonally charged teenagers trying to figure out why their panties and briefs get damp when Barack walks by (as outlined in the year in review). Where in Tom's 'noble' laundry list do you see the least bit of concern for Iraqis? Poor Iraqis, Tom's all out of hope for them.

This is not a voice of peace, it's the sound of a suck-up who's finally spent the bulk of his divorce settlement (we always said, "Give it time, it will happen."). And Tom's no longer interested in Iraq. You get that from his praise for Dexter Filkins (the Falluja liar Dexy). You get that from his 'judgment' (don't bring up his record when it comes to judgments, we'll all be laughing for days and never get a thing accomplished). His judgment is that Iraq War is, so, like, totally over, you know, and all the way cool kids are sporting Afghanistan these days. Tom-Tom writes, "The conditions for a massive social movement against the Iraq War are ebbing, for now, unless large-scale fighting suddenly resumes or President Obama unexpectedly caves in to the Pentagon and blatantly breaks his promise to withdraw combat troops in 16 months and all troops by 2011." Poor Tom-Tom, he always rushed-rushed. In all areas of life. And now Tom-Tom ditches Iraq to move over to talking about Afghanistan because he's so very sure it's the next great frontier for the Barack Obama Movement. Not for the peace movement, mind you. And what's with 16-months, Tommy? I certainly haven't forgotten when you took one line of Barack's from that absurd Houston, Texas speech and insisted (in a full column -- fool column?) that Barack needed your votes now (more than ever!) because he'd just offered a new 'plan' -- Withdrawal in 10 months! Remember that? "In his victory speech in Texas Tuesday, Barack Obama promised to end the Iraq war in 2009, a new committment that parallels recent [gas baggery] in The Nation." Remember those words?

He's lied for so long and lied so much, he can't even keep it straight anymore. He's honestly as manic as he was when he was rightly kicked out of the commune. And that's only more obvious when he decides he wants to 'comfort' readers with his opinion that Iraq will now be "a low-visibility counterinsurgency war like those that ravaged Central America in the 1970s." And that, apparently, requires no protest and doesn't disturb Tom Hayden. Poor Iraq War, someone should have told you that Tom-Tom loses interrest in causes as quickly as he does women.

Thanks for playing Tom. Go form a B-O circle jerk with Leslie Cagan. The two of you can argue over whether it's better to stare at the seat of Barack's pants or that really tight crotch. And use the link to laugh. I haven't laughed so hard since his August piece ("Dreams of Obama") where he used his children as accessories to shore up his faltering image but, somehow, forgot his adopted daughter. Was no one supposed to notice? Can we all expect 2009 to bring a Tommy Dearest page turner? Apparently everyone was too busy dropping their jaws at his slur against bi-racial children in that column to notice how quickly he disappeared family. As quickly as he tries today to disappear Iraq.

The Old Sell-Out can't be counted on but thank goodness we have an 'independent' media, right? No, we have a Panhandle Media and somehow FAIR forgot to call out the little stunt taking place January 20th -- see Third Sunday for more on that.

Instead we'll drop back to November 28th when Amnesy International issued this warning, "Thousands of Iraqis detained by US forces are at risk of torture or even execution, following the ratification of a security agreement between the US and Iraqi governments. Under the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), which will take effect on 31 December, around 16,000 prisoners held by the US will be transferred to Iraqi custody. Those at particular risk . . ." We'll stop right there. No need to worry because those prisoners will remain US prisoners. They are not being transitioned. Yes, the treaty supposedly guaranteed the handover but no one was foolish enough to fall for the treaty masquerading as a Status Of Forces Agreement, right? Oh, some did. Anyway, Peter Graff, Ahmed Rasheed, Khalid al-Ansary and Jon Boyle (Reuters) report, "Some prisoners held indefinitely without charge by US forces in Iraq may not be freed or given trials, even though U.S. forces lost the authority to hold them at the beginning of this year, a U.S. military spokesman said. . . U.S. forces are holding 15,000 prisoners, most of whom have been detained without charge under the authority of a U.N. Security Council resolution which expired on Dec. 31."

Earlier this week (Tuesday), US House Rep John Conyers, as chair of the House Judiciary Committee, introduced the "National Commission on Presidential War Power and Civil Liberties" with Jerry Nadler, Sheila Jackson-Lee, Bill Delahunt and Eddie Bernice Johnson among the co-sponsors. The bill argues for the establishment of "a Blue Ribbon Commission comprised of experts outsdie government service to investigate the broad range of policies of the Bush adminstration that were undertaken by the Bush administration under claims of unreviewable war powers." Monday, the Senate Judiciary Committee, chaired by Patrick Leahy, released three documents [PDF format warning] from the Office of legal Counsel -- one on the White House authority to use force against Iraq, a second on the UN Security Council from November 8, 2002 and a third entitled "Re: 'Protected Persons' in Occupied Iraq" (March 18, 2004) which is the one we're focusing on.

This memo (25 pages plus Appendix) was written by then Assistant Attorney General Jack Goldsmith. The lie the White House repeated was that Geneva didn't apply to Afghanstian (legally, it should have applied) but Iraq was a war and they were following the Geneva Conventions. That was a lie. They were selectively following it. Goldsmith found, W"e conclude that the following persons, if captured in occupied Iraq, are not 'protected persons' within the meaning of GC article 4: U.S. nationals, nationals of a State not bound by the Convention, nationals of a co-belligerent State, and operatives of the al Qaeda terrorist organization who are not Iraqi nationals or permanent residents of Iraq." The White House honored Geneva selectively. They lied to the American people yet again. Equally disturbing is the legal opinion including pages 22 through 24 where the conditions arguing for the protection of members of a resistance movement are selectively noted by Goldsmith who attempts to impose limitations via revisionary history. Acknowledging the need for resistance against the Nazis, he does allow Geneve would protect Germans but, by his argument, members of the resistance in Germany or Poland who were French would not be protected. The Nazis were not limited to Germany and the resistance movement against the Nazis was an European movement -- a fact Goldsmith is either ignorant of or pretends to be. It's an appalling and shoddy legal opinion. He distorts or selectively ignores historical facts and when you're dealing with the Holocaust, that is especially offensive. This is a glimpse at just how sick the 'minds' at work in the current White House were.

So along with the approximately 16,000 prisoners the US was holding in Iraq that Amensty International was aware of, there are who knows how many others captured in Iraq and taken elsewhere? And, no, the expiration of the UN Security Council mandate does not mean that any of them are now turned over to the Iraqi puppet government.

Staying with legal news and also outrageous, KBR and Halliburton have found new scapegoats for their failures. Laurel Brubaker Calkins and Margaret Cronin Fisk (Bloomberg News) report that the two giant corporations who have made billions in Iraq have decided that the an attack on a KBR truck in 2004 was not due to lack of security provided by the mega-rich corporations, the attack -- resulting in deaths and injuries -- was the fault of "the U.S. Army and Iraqi terrorists". A new low -- even for KBR and Halliburton. Not only is that so grossly insulting to the US service members, the hypothesis can't even hold up under its own weight. Let's throw logic and propriety out the window long enough to not object to the assertion that the US Army failed KBR and deaths and injuries were their fault. How do you lump 'terrorists' in there as well? So the way their little hypothesis works is that the US Army should have provided even more protection and, pay attention, so should terrorists. KBR and Halliburton wanted to make a quick buck on the cheap and risked human lives in order to do so.

The US military had to protect KBR and that wasn't fair to them. When the KBR trucks would have a flat, get stuck or whatever, KBR employees would be able to leave the scene. The US service members would have to stay with the trucks, like sitting ducks. And as Kelly Dougherty (IVAW) has explained repeatedly, they would wait and wait and then finally be told to destroy the trucks and any cargo on it. Which would frequently anger the local populations. In March of last year, Iraq Veterans Against the War held their Winter Soldier Investigation. KPFA carried the hearings live for the bulk of the four days and Aaron Glantz and Aimee Allison were the on air moderators. One of the ways to hear the audio of the hearings is to go to Glatnz' War Comes Home site. [Allison is co-host of the station's The Morning Show and co-author with David Solnit of Army Of None.] March 14th was the first day of panels (the previous day was the opening of the hearings) and one of the afternoon panels was on corruption and war profiteering. Appearing on that panel was Doughtery and we'll note this from the March 14, 2008 snapshot:

KBR was the focus of Kelly Dougherty's testimony. She discussed how she and others serving in Iraq assigned to protect convoys were repeatedly put at risk when a KBR vehicle broke down, how they were told it was an asset to be protected even if that meant killing someone and then they would be told to forget it, to destroy the vehicle and move out. Iraqis desperate for fuel or the contents of the truck were not a concern and, if pressed, the US military command would instruct service members that distributing something in the trucks (before destroying them) could cause a riot. All of which goes to Doughtery's statement of Iraqis, "I'm looking at people I can't even look in the eye." Moving to Kuwait after serving in Iraq and while waiting to be sent back homes, service members were living in a KBR tent city. Doughtery explained, "When we were leaving . . . we were put in these tent cities. Our tents were completely covered with mold on the inside." The tents had bunk beds and not cots so service members were not allowed to (as some wanted) sleep outside the tents to avoid what appeared to be Black Mold. Instead, they suffered from respitory infections. Dougherty noted "this living condition where we couldn't even be in the place were we were supposed to live without getting sick." KBR made a big profit of the illegal war. KBR provided the troops with tents that made them sick. Where's the audit on that?

They were dealing with KBR trucks -- which were worth about $80,000, chump change to KBR. You may remember the stories of contractors abandoning trucks and cars and the cost for new ones (usually on a cost-plus contract) being passed back on to you and me the tax payers. Doughtery noted that KBR's trucks "would break down a lot, would get in accidents a lot." They'd stop for flat tries or because they got stuck in the mud,things like that as well. The drivers were treated horribly by KBR and were from countries such as Pakistan, India, etc. The truck would break down, the driver would hop out of the truck and get a ride with someone else in the convoy and the MPs would be called in to secure the abandoned trucks. Doughtery explained, "For us as miltary police, we're told when we get into Iraq and when we're getting on these convoy missions" that KBR's trucks are United States assets and "need to be protected, with force, with deadly force if necessary." The drill was always the same: secure the trucks and wait. Then came the call that they couldn't find anyone to come get the trucks so they should just leave it.That didn't mean, "Hop in your vehicles and leave!" That meant disable the vehicles (fire grenades into the engine blocks) and destroy whatever cargo it had. That meant setting fuel on fire in front of Iraqis who had no fuel. That meant burning produce in front of Iraqis who were hungry. That meant destroying a brand new ambulance in an area that had none and really needed one. Doughtery explained that even the local sheiks were out on the last one, trying to convince US soldiers that if they would leave the ambulance alone, they (Iraqis) would figure out how to get it off its side and out of the mud."That was pretty much a daily occurence," said Dougherty. "Where we were abandoning vehicles by KBR contractors on a daily basis."

And KBR and Halliburton have the nerve today to blame the US service members? KBR's always in the news. Julie Sullivan (The Oregonian) reports that there are now 48 ("at least 48) soldiers in Oregon who were "assigned to protect contractors rebuilding a water treatment plant near Iraqi oil fields in 2003 [who] were exposed to hexavalent chronicum" which is risk factor for lung cancer. (It most likely causes lung cancer. Everyone's being careful with their words.) Sullivan notes, "Concern for Oregon soldiers was first raised by Lt. Col. B.J. Prendergast, who served as executive officer of the 1st Battalion, 162nd Infantry Regiment in Iraq in 2003. His soldiers had already been reassigned when he saw a command e-mail alert about the exposure. He immediately demanded an occupational health assessment for the troops. They were evaluated in Kuwait, and their history was noted in post-deployment reports at Fort Lewis, Wash. No blood or urine tests were conducted." And Laura Strickler (CBS News) reports that "the Senate Armed Services Committee has requested a new investigation into the multi-billion dollar military contractor Kellogg Brown and Root (KBR). The investigation request is based on accusations from a retired Army official who managed the contractor's work in Iraq."

Today puppet of the occupation Nouri al-Maliki made a statement. Khalid al-Ansary (Reuters) reports that at police ceremony, al-Maliki declared, "Frankly, before there was no confidence (in the police) because of (militia) infiltrations, but great efforts have ended these and closed the doors to those who infiltrated. . . . We changed the police from a broken apparatus, based on sectarianism . . . into a coherent, professional one." Well, he says so anyway. There's no check on his decree. At the start of November, the big story was that the "Awakening" Councils had been turned over to Iraqi control (and that Iraq was picking up their salaries). That wasn't the case either. Today David Axe (Wired) reports on the continued handover of the "Awakening" Councils -- still not completed and will go through at least next month as well. The hopes by many were that they would be absorbed by the Iraqi police. ("Many" is both "Awakening" Council members and US commanders in Iraq.) al-Maliki has seen these thugs as a threat to his control after having staffed so many ranks with his own sectarian thugs and has made clear he does not trust the bulk of the "Awakeing" members on the polic force. Axe notes that the "Daughters of Iraq" number "roughtly 800" and were turned over to the central government already. Also today demonstrations took place in Baghdad against the continued assault on Gaza. AFP reports approximately 2,000 supporters of Moqtada al-Sadr demonstrated against the assault. al-Sadr's call for retaliation attacks in Iraq against the US was repeated by a spokesperson who read his statements.

Meanwhile the violence continued today. Sahar Issa (McClatchy Newspapers) reports a Baghdad roadside bombing that claimed 1 life and left six wounded, a Kirkuk roadside bombing that claimed the life of 1 Iraqi service member and left two more wounded and, dropping back to Thursday night, a Basra rocket attack that left "at least 20 wounded civilians" requiring medical attention at Al Fayhaa Hospital. Reuters notes a Baiji roadside bombing today that claimed the lives of 5 Iraqi service members and 3 Basra rocket attacks today that left four wounded. A total of 6 Iraqi soldiers have been reported dead from bombings today. Yesterday's roadside bombings killed 8 Iraqi soldiers. Timothy Williams (New York Times) draws a connection between yesterday's bombings and the upcoming provincial elections in 14 of Iraq's 18 provinces, "Although the majority of Diyala's population is Sunni, the provincial council is dominated by Shiites because Sunnis boycotted local elections in 2005. But as new provincial elections, scheduled for Jan. 31, are approaching, tensions between Sunnis and Shiites have increased."

The United Nations has warned for months that violence would increase as provincial elections approached. At the start of this month, Staffan de Mistura, UN Secretary-General's Special Representative for Iraq, condemned the assassination of candidate Mowaffaq al-Hamdani as "the worst kind of election violence. . . . Campaign violence in Iraq must not be allowed to intimidate candidates or interfere with the right of every Iraqi to exercise their vote on 31 January." At the start of the month, the Independent High Electoral Commission published a list of crimes that could result in as much as year-long prison sentence and they include: 'intimidating or bribing" IHEC "staff or voters" as does using force or threats to interfere in the provincial elections. Kim Gamel (AP) reports that other 'laws' are being pressed. Specifically the puppet government has issued a 14-page conduct code for reporters -- Iraqi and foreign -- that they will need to sign "in exchange for permission to attend this month's provincial elections, riaisng concerns among media analysts that independent coverage could be undermined."

Yesterday the Security Council of the United Nations heard from Antonio Guterres, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Below are his remarks specifically on Iraq:

Mr. President, in Iraq with the improved security situtation, UNHCR is working hard to help the government create appropriate conditions for the voluntary return and sustainable integration of refugees and internally displaced; however, there is a long way to go. Voluntary return must take place in safety and dignity and it is therefore imperative that states preserve the asylum space that they have made available to Iraqi refugees throughout the past five years in the region and beyond. More than 2 million Iraqis are still hosted mainly by Jordan and Syria in a very generous way and a similar number remains displaced inside the country. I call on the world's most prosperous states to offer full support to those countries and organizations that are bearing the brunt of the Iraqi exodus -- both by means of material assistance and through the expended provision of resettlement opportunities to those vulnerable Iraqis for whom voluntary repatriation will not be a viable option. To prepare for returns, we redeployed UNHCR's representative in Iraq from Amman [Jordan] to Baghdad in March of last . . . year. And we have also established an international presence in Erbil, Mosul and Basra. We have national staff in eleven of the country's governorates and plan to further expand our presence and activities in Iraq as the evolving security environment permits. Beyond security, sustainable return to Iraq will require effective action in the areas of property restitution or property compensation for those unable to go back to their places of orign and full and equitable access to welfare services and public distribution systems.

Yesterday's snapshot also included this: "As Stevie Nicks once sang, 'No one ever leaves, every one stays, close til the fire fades' ('Fireflies,' written by Nicks, on Fleetwood Mac Live). Sidebar: Stevie joins bandmates Mick Fleetwood, John McVie and Lindsey Buckingham for the group's first tour which kicks off March 1st in Pittsburgh (March tour dates are up at Fleetwood Mac's site)." That should have been "first tour in five years." My apologies. Public broadcasting notes. Starting with public radio, WBAI on Sunday and Monday offers:

Producer and Artistic Director Mark Russell on "Under the Radar," aspectacular international theater festival now in its 5th season;author/artist Wafaa Bilal on "Shoot an Iraqi: Art, Life and ResistanceUnder the Gun," his book about an interactive performance piece; andpianist/composer Andrew Shapiro on upcoming performances and his newrecording of "Numbers, Colors and People," works for solo pianomerging classical and pop sensibilities. Hosted by Janet Coleman andDavid Dozer.

Public television finds NOW on PBS exploring global warming's impact on ocean currents and sea chemistry as they travel "deep into the oceans with scientists from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) with help from other researchers for a first hand look at this stunning sea change, and what we can do about." That begins airing on most PBS stations tonight as does Washington Week(check local listings for both) which finds Gwen and the gas bags exploring few topics but pretending they are many. Look for lots of bad puns and what doesn't even qualify as a one-liner. John Harwood (NYT, CNBC) shows up without his twin (John Dickerson), Michael Duffy (Time magazine) and Mark Mazzetti (NYT) will attempt to grapple with topics (and what passes for topics) while Jeanne Cummings grapples with the English language (stands in front of, stands behind -- it's all so confusing for Jeanne).

The Price Of OilThe historic swings in oil prices last year were the result of financial speculation from Wall Street and not supply and demand, several sources from the financial and oil communities tell Steve Kroft. | Watch VideoThe ChairmanCBS News correspondent David Martin profiles Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen. WyclefWyclef Jean immigrated to the U.S. as a child and grew up to live the American dream as a millionaire rock star. He's now using his extraordinary talents and wealth to help his native Haiti. Scott Pelley reports. 60 Minutes, this Sunday, Jan. 11, 2009, at 7 p.m. ET/PT.60 Minutes Update:Obama And The EconomyPresident-elect Barack Obama is promoting his economic stimulus plan on Thursday in a speech at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va. Scott Pelley spoke with Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson about the economic crisis in October. | Watch Video

Finally, the Illinois Supreme Court stuck with the law. Reuters reports that they have ruled Senator Roland Burris does not need Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White to sign off on his appointment to the Senate ("The Illinois Supreme Court on Friday ruled Democrat Roland Burris' appointment to the U.S. Senate valid . . .") Joe Barrett (Wall St. Journal) reports, "Illinois Sen. Richard Durbin says a ruling by the Illinois Supreme Court over the credentials of Gov. Rod Blagojevich's Senate appointee has created an impasse and he urged that the filling of Mr. Obama's seat be put on hold pending the outcome of the state senate trial of Mr. Blagojevich." Durbin's disgracing himself in a way he hasn't since his teary-eyed water works after he got smacked down for telling the truth about Guantanamo.

Reuters reports he has stated that a new governor must be sworn in (that would be the Lt. Governor if Rod Blagojevich steps down) and a new appointment made. That's not how it works. This change the line every time you don't like the way the law is only adds fuel to the charges of racism. Roland Burris needs to be seated and Dick Durbin needs to learn what is and is not his business. (Or else the nation will suffer through many more of his weepy apologies.)

KBR Inc. and its former parent, Halliburton Co., filed a request in court to tell a jury that the U.S. Army and Iraqi terrorists are responsible for deaths and injuries to company truck drivers in Iraq in 2004.Families of the dead and injured drivers claim in a federal lawsuit that KBR and Halliburton officials sent unarmed civilians into active-combat zones in April 2004 knowing they would be attacked and possibly killed. The contractors and their families say Houston-based KBR misrepresented the risk and should be held accountable.

The above is from Laurel Brubaker Calkins and Margaret Cronin Fisk's "KBR Seeks to Blame U.S. Army, Insurgents for Iraq Convoy Deaths" (Bloomberg News) and has to qualify as a new low even for KBR and Halliburton. Not only is so grossly insulting to the US service members, the hypothesis can't even hold up under its own weight. Let's throw logic and propriety out the window long enough to not object to the assertion that the US Army failed KBR and deaths and injuries were their fault. How do you lump 'terrorists' in there as well? So the way their little hypothesis works is that the US Army should have provided even more protection and, pay attention, so should terrorists. KBR and Halliburton wanted to make a quick buck on the cheap and risked human lives in order to do so.

The US military had to protect KBR and that wasn't fair to them. When the KBR trucks would have a flat, get stuck or whatever, KBR employees would be able to leave the scene. The US service members would have to stay with the trucks, like sitting ducks. And as Kelly Dougherty (IVAW) has explained repeatedly, they would wait and wait and then finally be told to destroy the trucks and any cargo on it. Which would frequently anger the local populations.

KBR and Halliburton put the US service members at risk and, if there's a lawsuit that needs to be filed, it needs to be against KBR and Halliburton for risking US lives. How typical of Dick Cheney's companies to want to rally when opinion on the illegal war is more favorable and to toss out the bumper sticker slogan (that we do not use here or quote here) so many jingoists used to silence dissent and serve up "BLAME THE TROOPS." I'm sure it will look lovely on the bumper of some gas guzzling SUV.

At least 48 Oregon soldiers assigned to protect contractors rebuilding a water treatment plant near Iraqi oil fields in 2003 were exposed to hexavalent chromium. The industrial compound, if inhaled, greatly increases the risk of lung cancer.Last month, 16 Indiana National Guard soldiers sued Houston-based KBR, claiming the nation's largest war contractor "disregarded and downplayed the extreme danger of wholesale site contamination." The suit claims KBR hid its civilian workers' elevated chromium levels and dismissed widespread symptoms -- including constant nosebleeds that toxicologists call "chrome nose" -- as sand allergies.[. . .]In an e-mailed statement Thursday, KBR denied "any assertion" that the company harmed troops or was responsible for an unsafe condition at the facility. KBR has collected $28 billion in military contracts.[. . .]Concern for Oregon soldiers was first raised by Lt. Col. B.J. Prendergast, who served as executive officer of the 1st Battalion, 162nd Infantry Regiment in Iraq in 2003. His soldiers had already been reassigned when he saw a command e-mail alert about the exposure. He immediately demanded an occupational health assessment for the troops. They were evaluated in Kuwait, and their history was noted in post-deployment reports at Fort Lewis, Wash. No blood or urine tests were conducted.

KBR -- giving back to the country that gave them so many billions of tax payer dollars . . . giving back cancer.

CBS News has learned the Senate Armed Services Committee has requested a new investigation into the multi-billion dollar military contractor Kellogg Brown and Root (KBR). The investigation request is based on accusations from a retired Army official who managed the contractor’s work in Iraq.Chairman Carl Levin (D-MI) and ranking Republican Senator John McCain (R-AZ) sent a joint letter to the Department of Defense Inspector General on December 12, 2008 requesting the new investigation based on claims by former Army civilian Charles M. Smith who worked out of the Army's Rock Island Arsenal in Illinois.In an interview with CBS News, Smith said after he raised serious concerns about KBR's accounting of billions in taxpayer dollars, he was removed from the project.

Former Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Jesse Hickey recalled seeing bullets hitting all around him as Marines ran for cover. As the first corpsman to reach the ambush site, he raced to rescue wounded men.Under normal circumstances, the Marines would have pulled back and called in air power to destroy the building. But with wounded Marines in the house, that wasn't an option.Hickey treated and evacuated several Marines, even though shrapnel hit parts of his body and he could no longer use one of his arms."I remember being scared, but I was scared of not being able to help those guys," Hickey said yesterday. "I never thought about what might happen to me, only of failing my Marines. When I think back about it, I wish I could've done more."Also working to save Marines and kill the enemy during the battle were Gunnery Sgt. Robert Homer, Lance Cpl. Joshua Mooi, Cpl. Javier Alvarez and 2nd Lt. Donald McGlothlin.At one point, Alvarez snatched an insurgent's grenade that landed in the middle of some Marines. It exploded, blowing his hand off, but he kept fighting.Hickey, Homer and Alvarez received the Silver Star during yesterday's medals ceremony. The Silver Star for McGlothlin, who died in the battle, was awarded posthumously.

Again, that should have been in the last entry with Tony Perry's "5 platoon members honored for bravery in 2005 Iraqi firefight" (Los Angeles Times) but maybe it's better here anyway (by accident). KBR and Halliburton are blaming the US service members for the corporation(s) own failures and maybe we need that reminder of some of what the US service members actually have to deal with -- when not acting as baby sitters for corporations trying to get rich in Iraq and too damn cheap to buy their own security? KBR and Halliburton have reached a new low, even for them.

ANTI-TORTURE ACTIVISTS TO FAST AND RALLY SUNDAYTO CALL ON OBAMA TO CLOSE GUANTANAMO AND BAN TORTURE IMMEDIATELY

WASHINGTON ­ On Sunday, January 11 ­ the seven-year anniversary of the opening of the prison at Guantanamo ­ more than 200 human rights advocates will join 60 people who are beginning a nine-day fast to encourage President-Elect Barack Obama to keep his promise to shut down Guantanamo and end torture in his first days of office.

At DuPont Circle Park at 12:45 pm in Washington, DC, leading human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, American Civil Liberties Union, The Center for Constitutional Rights and September Eleventh Families for Peaceful Tomorrows, will call for an end to the Bush policies, justice for the detainees, and accountability for possible U.S. crimes. 150 demonstrators wearing orange jumpsuits and hoods will have a prisoner procession to dramatize the plight of the detainees still at Guantanamo.

"Obama's statements," explains Matthew Daloisio of Witness Against Torture, "bring hope that Guantanamo will close. But parts of the military and the Congress are already working to prevent Obama’s plans."

"We need justice, not more politics of fear," adds Valerie Lucznikowska of September Eleventh Families for Peaceful Tomorrows. "This is the promise Obama represents, and we will hold his administration to it."

The fast will be broken on January 20, when anti-torture activists will join the inauguration-day crowd. The event is part of Witness Against Torture’s 100 Days Campaign to Close Guantanamo and End Torture. Participants include The National Religious Campaign Against Torture, the Torture Abolition Survivors Support Coalition, War Resisters League, and the American Friends Service Committee.

Event: Fast and Rally Calling on Obama to Close Guantanamo and End Torture

Date and Time: Sunday, January 11; 12:45 pm

Location: DuPont Circle Park, Washington, D.C., NW

On e-mails, I'm not speaking of the above but I am speaking about the public e-mail account. If you use it and want to be quoted, it is not my job to track you down. It is not my job to do your work for you. It states very clearly on the left hand side that your e-mails are confidential unless you are threatening (put up for physical threats -- though didn't _____ ______ pretend not to grasp that?). If you're quoted here from a newspaper, you need to address your quibbles with the paper that quoted you. Griping at me will not endear you to me. Griping at me because ____ misquoted/distorted you is not my problem.

And what am I supposed to do with your e-mail? Am I supposed to say, "____ wrote and says ____ misquoted him. For the record, ____ feels ___"? To do that, I would need your permission. I am not your wet nurse, I am not your mother. You don't sleep in my bed. It is not my job to waste my time e-mailing you, "Oh, that's so awful what ____ did to you. Do you want me to note it here?" That's not my job and, point of fact, most 'misquotes' aren't. I've given enough interviews to know we are far more likely to say the wrong thing and instantly regret it or not realize how it came it off until after it's in print or on air. That's another reason why you shouldn't follow your own press -- ever. And if someone misquotes you and refuses to correct the record or at least apologize, they get a reputation quickly and people avoid giving them quotes. The reporter in question has no such reputation.

One more, and there are two for this one, if you were quoted here as you were quoted in ___ or ____ but you don't think you came off well, too damn bad. We are not ____ or _____. Links were provided to both. We can excerpt under fair use, we cannot repost in full. If you have something you'd like noted here, you can make that clear in your first e-mail. I shouldn't have to spoonfeed you. (And for the record, all the whiners today were males.)

Witness Against Torture sent a press release and made their intent very clear. It's amazing that they can do what big moneyed professionals can't. But maybe that happens when the focus is on an issue that matters as opposed to petty, personal grievances (self-obsession?)?

A rise in sea levels isn't the only impact global warming is having on the world's oceans. A growing body of evidence suggests that climate change is also affecting ocean currents and the chemistry of the seas, with potentially catastrophic results.This week, NOW travels deep into the oceans with scientists from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) with help from other researchers for a first hand look at this stunning sea change, and what we can do about it."We've been aware of global warming for several decades now. We haven't taken any substantive action, and we're now what many scientists would call at tipping points," Ruth Curry, an ocean scientist at the WHOI.In a simple experiment, using ice cubes, a beaker of water, and a hot plate, Curry shows NOW's David Brancaccio how ice acts as a heat buffer in the oceans. When the ice melts, the buffer collapses, and may cause a rapid rise in ocean temperatures, with unpredictable results.Some ocean scientists believe that if action isn't taken quickly to address climate change, our oceans could face their biggest shock in 100 million years.The world's oceans face a global-warming catastrophe. President-elect Barack Obama has pledged to act quickly to fight climate change but can his Administration make a difference?

That begins airing tonight in most PBS markets as does Washington Week(check local listings for both) which finds Gwen and the gas bags exploring few topics but pretending they are many. Look for lots of bad puns and what doesn't even qualify as a one-liner. John Harwood (NYT, CNBC) shows up without his twin (John Dickerson), Michael Duffy (Time magazine) and Mark Mazzetti (NYT) will attempt to grapple with topics (and what passes for topics) while Jeanne Cummings grapples with the English language (stands in front of, stands behind -- it's all so confusing for Jeanne).

Producer and Artistic Director Mark Russell on "Under the Radar," aspectacular international theater festival now in its 5th season;author/artist Wafaa Bilal on "Shoot an Iraqi: Art, Life and ResistanceUnder the Gun," his book about an interactive performance piece; andpianist/composer Andrew Shapiro on upcoming performances and his newrecording of "Numbers, Colors and People," works for solo pianomerging classical and pop sensibilities. Hosted by Janet Coleman andDavid Dozer.

Live Friday: Sharon Little In Concert

Listen Online At Noon ET

courtesy of the artist

Sharon Little.

WXPN,January 8, 2009 - Soulful pop singer Sharon Little was working as a waitress at the start of 2008, but it didn't take her long to grab a spot as the opening act for Robert Plant, Alison Krauss and T-Bone Burnett on their Raising Sand tour. Though she might be called an overnight sensation, Little has been honing her bluesy, jazzy style for years. Return to this space at noon ET Friday to hear her perform live in concert from WXPN and World Café Live in Philadelphia.

Little's sultry voice attracted the attention of a label early in her career, but she rejected the offer in order to pursue her own sound. She self-released the critically acclaimed album Drawing Circles in 2006, and began co-writing with Grammy-winner Scot Sax over the course of two years as they took a bunch of cross-country trips by train. Her major-label debut, Perfect Time for a Breakdown — which features "Follow That Sound," her theme song for the TV series The Cleaner — was largely inspired by their travels.

The Price Of Oil The historic swings in oil prices last year were the result of financial speculation from Wall Street and not supply and demand, several sources from the financial and oil communities tell Steve Kroft. | Watch Video The ChairmanCBS News correspondent David Martin profiles Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen. Wyclef Wyclef Jean immigrated to the U.S. as a child and grew up to live the American dream as a millionaire rock star. He’s now using his extraordinary talents and wealth to help his native Haiti. Scott Pelley reports. 60 Minutes, this Sunday, Jan. 11, 2009, at 7 p.m. ET/PT.60 Minutes Update: Obama And The Economy President-elect Barack Obama is promoting his economic stimulus plan on Thursday in a speech at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va. Scott Pelley spoke with Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson about the economic crisis in October. | Watch Video

About Me

We do not open attachments. Stop e-mailing them. Threats and abusive e-mail are not covered by any privacy rule. This isn't to the reporters at a certain paper (keep 'em coming, they are funny). This is for the likes of failed comics who think they can threaten via e-mails and then whine, "E-mails are supposed to be private." E-mail threats will be turned over to the FBI and they will be noted here with the names and anything I feel like quoting.
This also applies to anyone writing to complain about a friend of mine. That's not why the public account exists.